


Saccharin: Sweeter Than Sugar, Bitter Aftertaste

by Rhidee



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Deal with a Devil, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Not really friendly to anyone really oops, Other, Polyamory Mention, Supervillain AU?, Temptation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 01:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20166142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhidee/pseuds/Rhidee
Summary: Sometimes, when the night gets long, it's easy to want for things you shouldn't have.  Wine or rot, everything has an end.





	Saccharin: Sweeter Than Sugar, Bitter Aftertaste

He met her in a bar. Tony had been living it up, in a way. It was a private place, where the wealthy could shake their hair loose and not have it show up on the tabloids tomorrow. When he had met her eyes, tracing up from the violin in her hand, he knew he was going to make a mistake.

A bit of flirting, just enough, eyes lingering on lips and hands on bodies, and they went back to the tower.

Which was, of course, when the mood changed. Her stilettos traced her steps with a sharp tap.

“We’re not so different, you and I.” She said, sliding around the room, putting her hands on all of Tony’s stuff. The bar was traced with a red painted nail, his rich person decorative vase of sticks was lightly flicked, her hands dragged along the couch as if she’d find salvation by ripping the seams.

“Me, with my husband I come home to and love so much. You, with your empty rooms and the teammates who don’t love you. But we’re both missing something important…”

Tony was, really, really tired of his life being interrupted by supervillains.

Her weight was cold as she wrapped her arms around Tony’s shoulders.

“Money.” She said it with the same greedy passion of a starving man, asking not for bread, but for wine.

Tony snorted, laughing in disbelief. Because, really? Really?

“I’m the richest man in America, I have money.” He said, trying to meet her eyes as she spun around him.

“Wrong currency, dear. You’re quite poor in another.” 

“What’s that?”

Her lipstick stained his ear as she whispered, “Love.”

He tensed as she pulled back with a laugh, her hair swishing behind her. 

“But I have that Tony, and you could have that too. Just a little trade off. Equivalent exchange.” She sat on his bar like she owned the place. And then, leaning back, she popped open a bottle of rum and just waited. Smiling. Patient.

There’s a million, trillion, gazillion universes. A number so infinite that it makes the fact the human brain can’t conceptualize to a hundred seem like a trite little fact. An infinite number of distinct universes, each immeasurably different, some so close it’s but a butterfly away from another. In one world, a butterfly flaps its wings. In another, it dies. 

A million, trillion, gazillion universes. And the bits and pieces, the clothes they were wearing, the scent in the air, the bruise pulsing against Tony’s skin. They added and subtracted and multiplied, and in this very moment they divided.

Because Tony, hand clutched loosely around his drink, with hurt in his heart and the effort of a man who had truly tried his best and burnt to bits for it….

Said, “Deal.”

And then, beautiful and saccharin sweet, Loki smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> My file name for this is "We ain't so different, you and i. You, eating ass. Me, with the ass."   
The last line loki reveal would probably be more potent if i didnt have to tag him :V


End file.
